Episode 27 begins with Mae Chang talking to Ga Eun, advising her to be wary of the queen as she tried to kill the boss of pack carriers. The dowager queen is actually extremely pleased, walking around, sure her niece will be the next queen, she even got Lee Sun to agree to help in exchange to make Ga Eun into one of the finalists.

Prince Sun wonders what to do, how to invalidate this decision but it cannot be done. Woo Bo thinks they might persuade Lee Sun, but the prince knows he made his decision already and won't give up on Ga Eun. His only option left is taking Ga Eun away, not in the legal way.

Dae Mok meets with a suspicious someone, telling him to lay low. I have a really bad feeling about this.

Lee Sun receives a special package from the Boss of pack carriers, and it's the antidote for the deadly flower pill! Lee Sun is about to take it when Hyun Seok warns him to be careful and have his tester try it first. She does the inspection and eats one, but ends up dying in front of Lee Sun. Hyun Seok helps him to make him believe the boss was trying to kill him.

Why is Lee Sun so easily led to believe that?!

Feeling betrayed, Lee Sun goes to see Dae Mok and reveals the crown prince is alive. Lee Sun has decided he wants to be the real king, and for that Prince Sun must die. Dae Mok is enraged because he was lied to. He calls Hwa Goon to let her see how he's punished Gon for helping her to save the prince. Caught, Hwa Goon threatens to kill herself if her grandfather tries to kill the prince, but Dae Mok doesn't care and stops her, locking her up so she won't hurt herself.

Did Gon actually die?

Mae Chang is ready to help Ga Eun to escape, but as they are walking away they get caught. Lee Sun takes Ga Eun away as she begs for all the blame. It seems she wasn't actually expecting for the king to agree. Mea Chang gets a scolding from the head eunuch, who is her father apparently (that doesn't make sense to me… adoptive daughter maybe?)

Lee Sun takes Ga Eun to the greenhouse where he exposes himself, showing his face. She is shocked but so emotional, after waiting for so long for him. They cry on each other's shoulders until she catches up with what's happening and asks why he's pretending to be the king. Lee Sun reveals the crown prince forced him and ran away, and he's lived in misery since then. He also reveals who the real crown prince is.

Mae Chang meets with Prince Sun to tell him they got caught, but then Ga Eun shows up, saying an old friend helped her but she forgot something and asks Prince Sun to go with her. They get in the greenhouse and she shows the letter he left for there father, the only evidence she has. With her heart aching, she asks him if he truly is the Crown Prince.

Prince Sun accepts he is the crown prince. He begs for forgiveness and tries to explain he was afraid of losing her, but she's just so hurt. She cannot help feeling horrified she saved him and tries to kill him, but she cannot carry the task. She spares his life so her father's sacrifice wasn't for naught.

She is left crying and Lee Sun comes to comfort her, promising to to protect her and all that. Ga Eun cries in his arms.

Chun Woon, after Prince Sun tells him what happened, is angry, because if Ga Eun should hate someone it's him, he held the sword, but Woo Bo tells him it was the Pyunsoo Hwe who killed Ga Eun's father. Still, Chung Woon wants to tell Ga Eun the truth.

Es expected, the suspicious man who was Dae Mok's man turns to be Hyun Seok, and the antidote was their plan. It was the real antidote, but it only works on people addicted to the deadly flower. Lee Sun could've been cured if not for Hyun Seok. Time to hate another character. I hate when they betray me. And then he goes back to Lee Sun with a letter from Dae Mok where he promises to make him king.

So they set a trap for Prince Sun, but Lee Sun gives him one last warning after confronting him, saying that's his last token of friendship but to never show up again. Lee Sun doesn't let the other man explain and he needs to run before they get caught. Chung Woon helps and they run together, but there are too many others. They end up in front of a door, men after them. The doors open and head eunuch comes to their rescue. Mae Chang's words reached him and he saves them from the guards, helping them to escape.

Lee Sun keeps looking after Ga Eun, who had to be sedated to sleep in her agony. Mae Chang isn't fond of Lee Sun's concern. The other Lee Sun, meanwhile, is just taking all his frustration against a dummy in the forest. Mae Chang stays with her until assassins come, taking Ga Eun away. Mae Chang runs to tell Prince Sun DAe Mok took Ga Eun and knows he's the crown prince, revealing she knows his identity, but brushing that issue for later, they need to save Ga Eun first.

Dae Mok wants Prince Sun, but Woo Bo tries to stop him from throwing his life for one of his subjects, he is a king for all. I'm glad someone reminds him of that.

Ga Eun wakes up and learns she's at Dae Mok's house. She is taken to see him and with tears in her eyes she accuses him of being the enemy. Obviously, Dae Mok isn't concerned about what she believes and says, she's just a decoy and it actually works, he's even surprised when Prince Sun walks in, flagged by guards and swords.

I thought Prince Sun had understood he couldn't throw his life for Ga Eun's, no matter how important she is… then what's happening? I hope there's a plan to save them both. Good thing we'll find out very soon how the story continues. I'll be back for the next recaps.

Until then!

COMING SOON

Ruler: Master of the Mask

The selection of scenes and gifs were made by Bel, just a regular fangirl who spends too much time watching K-dramas. Sarcasm is for the sake of humour. If you want to make use of the gifs, please give credit.